The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum x morifolium Ramat., commercially known as a garden mum, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar denomination ‘Zanmumajes Red’. ‘Zanmumajes Red’ is a product of a breeding and selection program which had the objective of finding flower color mutants from existing parent plants. The new plant comprises a whole plant mutant of the parent chrysanthemum named ‘Zanmumajes’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 26,847). A comparison between the parent and ‘Zanmumajas Red’ is provided in the section description of the invention.
In order to obtain flower color mutants, unrooted cuttings of the parent plant were irradiated in April 2013 at Ziekenhuis, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with gamma radiation at a dose of 15 Gy. These treated cuttings were then planted in a controlled environment (greenhouse) in Rijsenhout, the Netherlands. In this population of planted cuttings, the new cultivar was discovered as a flower color mutant in October 2013 by Sjoukje Heimovaara in a controlled environment (greenhouse) in Rijsenhout, the Netherlands. The first act of asexual reproduction of ‘Zanmumajes Red’ was accomplished when after planting of the ‘Zanmumajes Red’ as a motherplant in December 2013, vegetative cuttings from this ‘Zanmumajes Red’ were taken and propagated further in Rijsenhout, the Netherlands. In summer, about 6-8 days are needed to initiate roots in cuttings of the new cultivar, after another 5 days rooted plants are formed. The new cultivar has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations.